The Pumpkin: Not Just For Pie! Eat the Seeds! Try the Oil!

10/25/2011

Fiber, Vitamin A, few calories - what an outstandingfruit! That's right, pumpkin is a fruit! Try it in soup, seeds on salads, on the run, while at rest. The flesh is scrumptious, and the seeds and oil are really healthy!

For most of us, including us at Vancouver Spine Care Centre, we look to the pumpkin pies and breads and seeds to enjoy the efforts of the pumpkin farmers. As the pumpkins turn into Jack-o-Lanterns around Halloween and decorate our Vancouver front porches, many Vancouver residents saved the seeds to roast and enjoy. Did you know that was a healthy choice? Good for you!

Then, Thanksgiving rolls around Vancouver, and the pumpkin pies roll out. Surprisingly, early pumpkin pies were actually cooked in pumpkins! Like we do today, early American settlers would carve the top off and remove the seeds, but they would then stuff the pumpkin with milk, spices, and honey and bake the whole thing. Granted, there was no crust, but it was a healthier version of pumpkin pie!

Healthy pumpkin benefits are numerous! It's no wonder that the Native Americans used pumpkins seeds for food and medicine! (1)

prevention of osteoporosis in mendue to the high zinc content - 71% RDA - in pumpkin seeds (3),

stress reduction and irritability as the amino acid tryptophan in pumpkin seeds converts to GABA (an anti-stress neurochemical) in the brain (4),

inhibition of benign prostatic hyperplasia in men (5),

anti-oxidant protection from free radicals floating around in Vancouver due to the beta-carotene conversion into vitamin A (6) (Don't you just love the bright orange color beta-carotene gives the pumpkin!),

support of good vision, eye and skin health, and a strong immune systemdue to the 246% Vitamin A content one serving offers (6), and

improvement in postmenopausal women's issues taking pumpkin seed oil like an increase in HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and decrease in blood pressure, hot flashes, headaches and joint pain (7)

From the flower to the inner flesh to the seeds, the pumpkin gives us its all! The flower is edible. The flesh is scrumptious in so many ways - pies, breads, smoothies. The pumpkin seeds are easy to make and fun to eat! Share some with your Vancouver friends and family!

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About Our Vancouver chiropractic Practice

Our method at Vancouver Spine Care Centre centers on chiropractic wellness as well as alleviation of pain, especially spine pain and its related conditions. We provide in depth care for back pain, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, leg pain, and injuries to the body from a car accident, sports injury or other cause. Our chiropractic practice attentively serves the Vancouver area. We pride ourselves on being patient-oriented and active to fulfilling your needs be they about insurance filing or appointment making or your health and healing. We provide customized treatment plans to accommodate your exact needs. If you're in need of a chiropractor in the Vancouver area, contact us today!